


Better

by Zordosia (orphan_account)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Ableism, Canon Era, F/F, Fighting, Implied Sexual Content, Making Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 11:07:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8530645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Zordosia
Summary: Theo attempts to save her old friend before she leaves New York.





	

    Theodosia Alston Burr has plenty of experience sneaking into the Hamilton Mansion.  
  
    Compared to some of the other times she’d tried it, this is a cakewalk. She doesn’t even have to try to climb up to the second-story bedroom window. She knows Mrs. Hamilton is away, attending to business at the orphanage, and most of the Hamilton children are at school or at lessons. That just meant avoiding the servant, and she had watched her leave for errands about a minute ago. She looks around one more time, then hurries up to the door and knocks rapidly.  
  
    She shifted from foot to foot, pulling her shawl tight around her head, when finally the door opened, and Angelica Hamilton looked at her, shocked.  
  
    “Angie, I’m sorry, I-“ Theo isn’t able to get any more out before Angie wraps her up in an enormous hug.  
  
    “I haven’t seen you in forever,” Angelica murmurs, and Theo melts into her a bit. She’s missed this so much.  
  
    She lets herself be guided in, and seated on a sofa in the parlor. “You’re still so smart,” Angelica says. “You picked out the perfect time, didn’t you?” Theo grins, unable to avoid basking a little in the praise. Angelica never cared if she mispronounced a word in French or missed a note on the violin. Angelica always looked at her like she was the smartest girl she’d ever met.  
  
    Angelica’s making a move to go get tea from the kitchen, and Theo stops her. “I’m fine Angie, and I can’t really stay long anyway. I just wanted to talk to you.”  
  
    Angelica smiles and sits down next to her on the sofa. “What’s going on?”  
  
    Theo knots her hands up, looks down at them. “I’m leaving New York, soon. To help my father.” Angelica opens her mouth, but Theo rushes ahead. “And before I couldn’t leave without trying to help you.”  
  
    Angelica closes her mouth, tilts her head. “Help me with what?”  
  
    Theo twists her fingers far back, doesn’t look up from them, has to get her words out fast or else she’ll never get them out at all. “People talk, Angie. Like, your mom isn’t going around telling everyone, but you know, we’re in the same circles, I hear things-“  
  
    “What are you talking about, Theo,” Angelica says. Theo looks to the side a bit, sees that her hands are clasped too.  
  
    “Your brother and father, Angie. They’re dead.”  
  
    Angelica doesn’t say anything, doesn’t move. Theo’s gut drops.  
  
    “I know- I know you think they’re just, going to be coming back soon,” Theo says. “But they’re not. They both died years. Philip’s not at school. You’re dad’s not in Washington. They’re dead. They’re not coming back.”  
  
    “Yes they are.” Angelica is ramrod straight, staring into middle distance. Theo puts a hand on her shoulder and she flinches.  
  
    “They’re not,” Theo says quietly. “I read their obituaries. You went to their funerals. They’re dead. They’re not coming back.”  
  
    “Yes they are,” Angelica says again. She says it harder this time, and there’s an angry note there that reminds Theo of the time she heard Mr. Hamilton yelling at her father in his study.  
  
    “Angie,” she says. “You know me. You know I wouldn’t lie to you, you know I wouldn’t be misled. And I’m telling you, they’re gone.” She squeezes her shoulder. “I know you, Angie, and this isn’t you.”  
  
    Angelica stands up, faces Theo, clenches her fists. “Get out.”  
  
    “Angie, wait-“  
  
    “You know a lot of shit, Theo, but you don’t know fucking everything.” Angie’s shaking now. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know me better than I know myself.” There are tears in the corners of her eyes. “How arrogant are you? I’m not a goddamn imbecile.”  
  
    Theo feels like crying herself, but she has completely forfeited that right. “Angie, please-“  
  
    “Get out. Now.”  
  
    Theo leaves.  
  
    Theo’s lying in bed, next to her husband. Their room feels empty, their belongings have been being shuffled South over the past few weeks. She feels desperately lonely and she can’t sleep.  
  
    She hears the sound of a rock hitting the window.  
  
    She looks over at her husband. He snores gently. She delicately climbs out of bed and walks over to the window. Angelica is standing below it. Theo swallows hard, holds up one finger, and slips out the door.  
  
    She walks quietly, barefoot, through the garden, to where Angelica is waiting. She motions Theo to a little bench where they’re more hidden from view. It’s chilly out, and Theo wishes she had thought to bring a coat with her. As is though, she tries to stifle her shivering and chattering teeth. She doesn’t want to give Angelica any excuse to send her back to the house.  
  
    They’re quiet for a while, Theo uncomfortable in multiple ways, and then finally Angelica says, “I couldn’t let that be the way we said good bye.”  
  
    That breaks Theo, and she sobs. Angelica looks at her, alarmed, and Theo waves her down. Angelica nods and hands her a handkerchief.  
  
    She thinks back over their relationship, all the times Angelica made her feel like she was the smartest person in the city, and she wonders if Angelica ever knew how much Theo looked up to her.  
  
    “I’m so sorry,” Theo says finally. She wipes the tears from her eyes and sniffs. “I was such a dick to you. I should never have- you’re better than me.”  
  
    “I’m not better than you,” Angelica says. She sounds confused.  
  
    “Yes you are.”  
  
    “Theo, you were right, you’ve studied so much stuff, you’re so much smarter than me-“  
  
    “Oh no, I definitely am smarter than you,” Theo says. “But you’re better than me. I never could have come here, if you had been leaving I would have just let you go, I couldn’t-” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry I talked down to you. I’m an idiot.”  
  
    Angelica puts her hand on her cheek, and Theo turns to face her. Angelica kisses her, and Theo forgets for a minute how cold and sad and scared she is.  
  
    They break apart, and Theo rests her forehead on Angelica’s. “I’m gonna be back in New York someday,” she tells her. “I’ll look you up. We’ll tell our husbands you want to inspect how I decorated the master bedroom, and I’ll make it all up to you.”  
  
    Angelica grins wide at that. “You better,” she says. “And you better write me too.”  
  
    “Your mom is never going to let my letters through.”  
  
    Angelica kisses her neck, puts her hand high on Theo’s thigh. “You’re the smart one. You’ll figure it out.”

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway Theo came back and their husbands conveniently died and they had a Boston marriage and nothing bad ever happened to either of them ever.
> 
> I'm at theoroark on Tumblr, if you want to talk to me there. I'm out of ideas of what to write and could use a distraction, so feel free to.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and any comments or kudos would mean the world to me!


End file.
